Eastern Conference wins 2020 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic presented by Toyota

WICHITA, Kan. – The Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference 4-3 in the championship game of the 2020 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic presented by Toyota on Wednesday at INTRUST Bank Arena.

The 2020 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic presented by Toyota featured a 3-on-3 tournament with four teams competing for the top spot with the host Wichita Thunder making up two of the four teams and facing-off against the other two teams made up of All-Star players from the Eastern and Western Conference. The four teams competed in a 3-on-3 tournament with rally scoring in order to crown a winner.

Logan Roe of the Florida Everblades earned Most Valuable Player honors with an event-high seven points (2g-5a).

In the championship game, the Eastern Conference began with a 2-0 lead courtesy of their two-goal advantage in the rally-scoring format entering the game. Norfolk’s Roman Ammirato and the PWHPA’s Kali Flanagan notched goals for the East in the title game.

The Kansas Star Casino/ECHL All-Star Skills Competition was held during the event, with the winning player in each event earning goals toward his team’s score.

In the fastest skater event, Tulsa’s J.J. Piccinich earned one goal for the Western Conference with a time of 13.05 seconds. He was followed by Wichita’s Billy Exell of Team Bolts at 13.30 seconds, Wichita’s Fabrizio Ricci of Team Hammers at 13.81 seconds and Newfoundland’s Joseph Duszak at 13.82 seconds.

In the hardest shot event, Idaho’s Brady Norrish earned two goals for the Western Conference with a shot of 95 miles per hour. Team Bolts Ostap Safin was second at 89 miles per hour, followed by Florida’s Logan Roe of the Eastern Conference at 88 miles per hour and Team Hammers Stefan Fournier at 86 miles per hour.

The final skills event was the accuracy shooting competition with Atlanta’s Tommy Marchin earning the win and three points for the Eastern Conference with a time of 2.369 seconds. Team Hammers Chris Crane was second at 14.84 seconds, followed by Toledo’s Josh Kestner of the Western Conference at 15.48 seconds and Team Bolts Peter Crinella at 23.52 seconds.

Also taking part in the All-Star festivities were three members of the 2018 U.S. Olympic Gold Medal squad – Dani Cameranesi (Team Hammers), Kali Flanagan (Eastern Conference) and Gigi Marvin (Western Conference) – along with three-time World Champion Annie Pankowski (Team Bolts). The participation in the 2020 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic is part of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association’s barnstorming “Dream Gap Tour” that is visiting several cities in Canada and the United States.

2020 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic Game Summaries

Game 1 – Team Bolts 3 vs. Western Conference 2

Game 2 – Eastern Conference 6 vs. Team Hammers 1

Game 3 – Team Bolts 3 vs. Eastern Conference 1

Game 4 – Team Hammers 5 vs. Western Conference 2

Game 5 – Western Conference 2 vs. Eastern Conference 1

Game 6 – Team Bolts 2 vs. Team Hammers 2

Semifinal Game 1 – Western Conference 4 vs. Team Hammers 1

Semifinal Game 2 – Eastern Conference 4 vs. Team Bolts 4

Championship Game – Eastern Conference 4 vs. Western Conference 2